About Us

Headquarters of the José Martí Cultural Society in Havana, Cuba

Our History

The José Martí Cultural Society (SCJM) is an organization within Cuban civil society, founded on October 20, 1995 by the prestigious Cuban intellectuals Armando Hart, Cintio Vitier, Roberto Fernández Retamar, Eusebio Leal, Abel Prieto, Enrique Ubieta and Carlos Martí.

It is a non-profit organization whose public relations body is the Martí Program Office and which has special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC).

It was conceived as a space for strengthening ties with organizations and people from other countries who are interested in promoting the work of José Martí, and for dialogue with Cubans abroad who maintain their attachment to the homeland and to Marti’s ideas.

It gained traction at a national level in February 1997, the year in which the first affiliate branch was established in the province of Cienfuegos. It now has representation in all the provinces of the country and in the special municipality Isla de la Juventud, and it has continued to expand as an agency for promoting Marti’s thought and national culture and identity.

Uppermost in its founding aims is the dissemination of Marti’s work in Cuba and in other countries; the promotion of the very best of Cuba’s political, cultural and philosophical traditions; and the mobilization of the widest possible range of the population through revolutionary thought inspired by Martí and Fidel.

Presidents:

Dr. Armando Hart Davalos (1997 – 2017)

Abel Prieto Jimenez (2018 – 2019)

Dr. Eduardo Torres-Cuevas (2019 – present)

Mission and Vision

Mission: To promote the study and dissemination of José Martí’s work of thought and action both inside and outside of Cuba; to motivate, engage and mobilize diverse sections of the population around Martí’s ideas and patriotic and anti-imperialist values.

Vision: The José Martí Cultural Society is an organization inspired by Martí and Fidel, committed to the ethical values and humanistic culture of José Martí and our heroes.